The Thirteen
by Sulhadahne
Summary: Who, what is the monster inside Castle that Never was? Why does it target Demyx? What connection is there to Xemnas? And... will anyone be sane after this night is over? [oneshot implied XemnasOC]


I don't own anyone but the OC. Begin story!

Still, everything was still. That's how it had been for the past few hours. Demyx felt his chest heave with every breath as his mind raced wildly. If nobodies can't feel emotions, how did this fear rise up inside him?

It was midnight, Saturday evening. I guess it was Sunday now. Actually, according to Saix, it was the Break of Days. Midnight was special in his mind, as it was the only time in which two days occurred at once. Demyx remembered the conversation perfectly.

_"I call it the Break of Days." Saix stated, his eyes fixed on the heart shaped moon floating outside the balcony. Across the room, sitting at the table, Luxord created the only sound in the room, shuffling his cards and playing with them._

_"Break of Days?" Demyx stated, looking up to the Luna Diviner. He nodded, emotionlessly, even for a Nobody._

_"The only time in which two days coincide. An impossible feat. It is just like us; a sort of light and darkness living at once." He answered._

_"Except we aren't light and darkness, really." Saix whispered to himself. "Just… nothing." _

Something was outside the door.

Demyx stood, sweating, inside one of the closets in the Castle that Never Was, hiding from Her. Whoever she was. The mysterious, frightening woman who had sparked… emotions in him. Somehow. What was she?

Something or someone banged against the door, slamming once. Five seconds later, it banged again. Demyx looked from the door to the empty space around him and back to the door, doing his best to slink slowly away from it.

Wait? Demyx slapped himself mentally. Why didn't he just teleport out?

Just as that thought occurred to him; the door flew open, slamming into his face. Why did he have to hide behind the door? Someone stepped into the closet, and as the door came off of Demyx a bit, he saw a shorter being with creamy deep blue hair covering his eyes, which were searching the dark. Sniffing the air, the man turned to Demyx behind the door.

"Fool." He stated, stepping away from the door and out of the closet. Confused, Demyx looked past the door, out into the hallway. No girl. Nothing. With a sigh, he stepped past the door and out into the hallway, rubbing his pinkish nose.

"What's up, Zexion?" Demyx questioned, back to his usual easy-going self. With a flick of his head in the northern direction, he turned away and sauntered up the hall, the moonlight flickering down through the windows and reflecting off of him. His footsteps, and the faint light, created an eerie atmosphere.

"Come." Zexion stated. Fear and nervousness stabbing at Demyx's… what do I say in place of "heart"? stabbed at him. Eyes flashing sadly, he took a quick glance around and looked back to Zexion, running after him suspiciously.

"Coming."

Saix stood by his balcony as usual. This was his place always at this time of day. Or, time of night. Truly, in this world, night was eternal. As eternal as light and darkness and nothing and time…

Troubles fogged Saix's mind tonight as he pierced the foggy skyline with his icy gaze. The moon was off center.

Five minutes ago, at midnight, the moon would have been dead center in the sky, at the "Break of Day". Five minutes later, and the moon was still dead center in the sky. The stars shone brightly, but did not flicker. The wind had died.

It was as if someone had frozen the skyline at the break of the days.

"Saix?" Saix grunted, turning slightly to look to the doorframe. There stood a man with spiky red hair, and vivid green eyes, and underneath these eyes were black marks. Everything about this man spoke cocky attitude. That sly grin, the defiance in his eyes… Saix could hardly stand the element of Fire, the Flurry of Dancing Flames; Axel.

Axel stood against the doorframe, his right arm raised at a right angle against it, his one leg crossed across the other at the heel, his left arm against his waist. Flicking his head towards the hallway, he spoke again. "Xigbar's called a meeting. Since Xemnas and Vexen are out on some mission, he's in charge. Said something about Luxord", he continued, shrugging and getting off the doorway, sauntering into the room towards Saix. "Luxord and Zexion thinking something's off. No clue what."

Saix grunted and turned back to the moon. Something was off, that was for sure.

"'Oh, pale moonless night, what lies speak in your bloodstained eyes of starry sky? Tell me what lies lie in your depths, and rifts through your chest of twilight; tear stained sky, tell me one truth; the Moon does not lie.' The moon does not lie." Saix muttered to the starry sky.

Axel chuckled. "What's that? Shakespeare?" He asked, turning to the doorway, but keeping his eyes on Saix. Saix chuckled himself, also turning to the doorway.

"Not Shakespeare. Simply fact; the moon does not lie."

The room was pale white, white light shining over all of everything. In its center was a pavilion, and rising up from this pavilion were thrones. Each throne was a different height, depending on the importance of the person sitting upon the throne.

The highest occupied throne was that of Xigbar, the Freeshooter. He was the second in command, the commander in place of master Xemnas. He was there when the Organization was first born, and helped build it with his own tired, weary, scarred hands.

Xigbar was dressed in the usual Organization attire, a long black cloak. An eye-patch covered his right eye, and his left one was a bright gold color, full of impatience and defiance. His hair was black, streaked with gray; he was no young man anymore. Tan skin scarred at the corner of his left cheek, the brownish-red scar rising up the cheekbone and towards the nose. His pony-tail rested behind his shoulders, graying at the tips. Xigbar looked his fellows over.

Third in command and the man sitting across from Xigbar in the room was Xaldin, the Whirlwind Lancer. Two tufts of hair covered the corners of his cheeks, and thick eyebrows threw shadows over his dark eyes. His hair was long, in dread locks, past his abdomen. He was the darkest skinned of the group, a sort of half-black/half-white look to him.

The fourth in command, Vexen, was out with Xemnas, so his throne was vacant.

Laxaeus, fifth in command, had recently departed the living world.

The sixth in command, and currently the youngest of the Organization, was Zexion, the deep blue haired enigma with a social disorder. He rarely spoke in full sentences, and sent cold glares to most anyone, enemies, friends, anyone.

Seventh was Saix, the Luna Diviner, the man with the power to divine the moon. Saix had a large scar over his face, worse than Xigbar's own, a huge cross over the bridge of his nose. Sapphire blue eyes were piercing the gaze of Xigbar's, as the two could hold conversations simply by reading each others eyes. Saix was truly like the second in command. If Xigbar didn't hold the title, Saix would be the one sitting in the second to highest throne; Saix was closest in relation to the Superior. Saix had ocean colored blue hair, with two large tufts of it falling over his shoulders, covering his pointed ears. Xigbar had always been curious as to how he had earned pointed ears. But he wasn't really one to talk, since he had them, too.

Eighth in the Organization, Axel, the Flurry of Dancing Flames. Cool kid, in Xigbar's mind. Cocky, but a worthy opponent, and a definite warrior. Axel could take care of himself. Unlike some organization members.

Such as number nine, Demyx. The blonde haired man who acted more like a boy had a mullet haircut that fell over his blue eyes slightly. With such a thin build and a childish temperament, most would suspect he was a child. Xigbar and Demyx were actually quite close; someone had to keep an eye on him.

Number Ten was Luxord. He was known as the Gambler of Fate. Pretty much, the man gambled everything but his own fate. Once, he had bet to Axel that it would take Demyx over an hour to realize that the water in the kitchen fridgerator was anything but water… and if Luxord lost, he would give Axel the last of the cheesecake. Cheesecake that belonged to Demyx, of course. The man named Luxord had pale blonde hair, and a moustache with a goatee, without the pointy end. In other words, his mouth was surrounded. Three silver earrings were on his left ear.

Both numbers Eleven and Twelve had left.

As for number Thirteen… the empty throne, shortest of them all, somehow seemed intimidating to Xigbar. Shaking his head, he sent those thoughts aside. It wasn't as if he'd ever seen thirteen again, the poor, distraught kid… Perhaps it would be best if he didn't think about him. Xigbar brought the meeting to order.

"Alright, dudes", Xigbar spoke in his usual surfer dude attitude. "I called this meeting, cause Luxord and Zexion think that somethin weird's goin on tonight. Anybody second that motion?" Saix nodded from his post.

"I do." He spoke. Xigbar nodded in response.

"Well, Saix?" Xaldin asked him. "What did you find?" Saix stood on his throne. This was kind of redundant, seeing as the thrones were so tall, he didn't need to.

"The moon. It's been in the same place for the last few minutes. It hasn't moved." Saix stated bluntly. Zexion did not stand, but crossed his legs, his hands lying on them, the digits intertwined.

"I cannot smell anyone. Not… normally." Zexion stated, closing his eyes. "For instance… I smell Demyx. In the closet. In the same place he was in… about ten minutes ago. But I do not smell him… over there." Zexion nodded towards Demyx's throne. Luxord sighed, stroking his forehead.

"This only confirms my suspicions. Time has stopped." Luxord groaned. Chills went through the room. Luxord's power was time; if he thought time had stopped, it had.

"How could that be?" Axel broke the silence. "Who could infiltrate the castle, and not be found, and then somehow freeze time? And for what purpose?"

"It would take great power. But anyone with great power would have been sensed by Zexion." Xigbar stated, looking over to number sixth.

"I… I saw someone." Demyx whispered. No one heard him, save Xigbar. Looking down at the kid with concern, Xigbar leaned over his throne toward him.

"What, kid? Repeat that?" He asked. Demyx cleared his throat, trying to be braver, and spoke to the organization as a whole.

"I… saw someone. A cloaked someone. Outside the castle. I was on a balcony, looking out at the city through the rain, and I saw someone dressed in all white. As soon as I looked at them, the head raised, and it looked over at me… I saw its eyes." He whispered, losing his strength. "If you can call them eyes. I saw them. Then I ran."

"Where did you see it?" Saix questioned, curiosity getting the best of him. Demyx thought back, his brow furrowing.

"At the library, through the balcony window. I stood inside, just before the balcony, when I just happened to look out." Saix nodded, and leapt down. He extended his hand towards Demyx and motioned, and Demyx leapt down from his throne as well.

"We will go see if this being is still there." Saix spoke, looking to Xigbar. He nodded, and Demyx and Saix disappeared through a portal of darkness.

Xaldin looked over to Luxord. He was sweating, and looked as if he were in pain. He sat with his elbows on his knees, leaning forward, his head in his hands. The gambler had such a faraway look in his eyes.

It disturbed Xaldin to see the cocky, easy-going man so tense.

Something _was_ wrong.

Saix and Demyx stood at the window. Demyx was a bit behind the older man, and gulped, searching the ground for the man he'd seen earlier. Saix seemed distraught a bit, looking around in the sky.

"Demyx. Demyx." Saix demanded, finally gaining the musician's attention. "Look." Saix pointed out into the rain. Demyx searched the area towards which he was pointing, and shrugged.

"I don't see anything."

"Exactly." Saix sighed. "There's nothing there."

"It's stopped raining."

"But it rarely stops raining around here!" Axel demanded, shocked. The news of change in weather had sent even more discomfort into the group, especially Demyx.

Demyx held power over the element of water; how come he hadn't sensed that it had stopped raining?

"Alright", Xigbar began, jumping down from his throne. "We have a slick intruder. Axel – "

Something happened.

Everything froze. It was only for a second. It was like the walls on either side of the group had sent out waves, and these waves hit the group, distorting them, turning them black and white, freezing them in time. Demyx found he couldn't move, but he could watch the others freeze. Only a few seconds later, the loss of color went away, and everything was moving again.

" – you and Saix will go out and search the city. Demyx – Demyx?"

Demyx looked confused, scared, crestfallen, looking frantically from member to member.

"Didn't you feel that?" He whispered his voice barely audible. The other members were now confused.

"Feel what?" Axel whispered, feeling apprehensive, throwing glances around the room.

Suddenly, a quiet noise could be heard from somewhere. Again, a sort of wave went through the room, and everything went black and white again. Axel couldn't move, neither could anyone in front of him. Everything looked distorted, off color, faded. Just as suddenly as it came, it left.

"That." Demyx whispered. Axel nodded quickly.

"I felt it." Demyx sighed immediately. He wasn't insane! Xigbar, looking confused and a bit fearful of the foreign "feeling" looked up.

"I felt it too."

The noise of before was louder now. It was a bell, like a church bell, ringing with grace and purity. The black and white distortion came again – and went.

"That's it." Luxord spoke, shaking. "I've had about enough of this. We have to get rid of it!" He yelled. The look in his eyes was maddening – Demyx blinked. What was going on?

"We have to get rid of it! Now! Go away!" Luxord shouted at no one, throwing his arms wildly, eyes flashing. Xigbar ran up immediately and grabbed Luxord's arm.

"Calm down, Luxord. We ain't the weird bell-toll-er. Cool it." Luxord, blinking, fell back into sanity, sighing heavily. Demyx sighed, the tight feeling in his chest realising.

The bell came again.

"NO!" Luxord shouted, dashing for the door to the room, sprinting outside. With a shout, Xigbar chased after him, followed closely by Xaldin. Soon, everyone was following. Demyx was the only one in the room.

He knew about music. He knew about sound. You can't escape the waves of sound.

But you can sure as hell try.

Dashing out the door, Demyx sped down the hall towards the others, catching up with them in an instant. He was running side by side with Axel, panting from running and from fear, rushing away from the bell.

The bell faded from earshot… and the running slowly ceased.

Xigbar was heaving, resting his hands on his knees, looking to his fellows with a pained smirk.

"The great Organization Thirteen… running from a _bell_." He chuckled. No one responded. That was odd; Axel would usually make a crack back, some of the colder members would chuckle, Demyx would laugh, Xaldin would comment, Luxord would top it…

Xigbar stood tall… to see everything in black and white.

Spinning round, something caught his eye. A person. Someone was standing in front of him. Someone cloaked, their face hooded, dressed in the very same robes of someone from Organization XIII, but the cloak was white, snowy white, instead. The being stood in a large puddle of blood, the only sound in the room being the random "plinks" of more blood falling from the bleeding being to the ground. That was funny; it didn't look like he or she was wounded. The face was to the ground, staring intently, arms limp at he or she's sides…

Slowly, yet surely, the being lifted its frail head, to look Xigbar in the eyes.

Its eyes… they weren't eyes… it was as if someone had taken a hot poker and burned the areas near the eyes, and then burned the eyes, delving deep. There were no pupils, no slit, no anything. Just white, pure white. It was disturbing, unsettling, to see such emotions of glee and blood thirst and malicious feelings in eyes so pure.

Was this the being Demyx had seen?

The being didn't have lips. But its mouth opened wide, showing many fangs, and the mouth formed a grin. Raising it's gloved hand, the being placed a finger in front of its mouth, as if saying "Be quiet".

It seemed to be taunting him.

"Who are … you?" Xigbar muttered, disgusted. The being seemed to laugh silently, shoulders shaking, when it turned to look back at Xigbar, shaking its finger in a reprimanding way. The being was so small, only … Roxas' height, and so frail. Now that he looked it over…Xigbar noticed that _it _was a _she_. A small-chested she.

"_Xemnas…?_" The being's mouth moved, but Xigbar heard no audio, but instead was not surprised when she spoke in his head. The being twisted its head a little, looking Xigbar over with mocking curiosity, and grinning. "_Not Xemnas… not Xemnas…_" the beings hands dropped down as it shook its head.

Why? Why couldn't Xigbar bring himself to think of it as a girl?

The being walked back a few feet, looking Xigbar in the eyes one last time.

"_I go find Xemnas. Bye-bye!_"

Xigbar opened his eyes, to find all his cohorts unconscious on the tile floor. One was stirring… it seemed like Saix was doing his best to awaken. Xigbar walked over sleeping bodies to Saix's place on the floor, bending over the blue haired man.

"Saix?" Xigbar called, poking him in the chest. With a moan, Saix sat up, looking around him.

"Find Xemnas…?" He questioned. Xigbar eye's grew knowing.

"So you heard Ms. Freak-queen." Saix, nodded, regaining his composer and standing.

"I'm sure everyone did. She was speaking loud enough. Brash." Xigbar nodded, turning as Xaldin began stirring. Saix walked past Xigbar to Demyx, who was still asleep.

"We need to move them. We need to get out of here." Placing Demyx over his shoulder, Saix stood tall and turned to look at Xigbar with danger in his eyes. "She'll be back."

Demyx was groggy, not really awake. Sitting up, rubbing the back of his head, he pondered whether or not that was all a dream.

Opening his eyes, he came eye to eye with pure white, pure malicious eyes.

"AHHHH!" He screamed, leaping up out of the blanket he was in, panicking. Zexion, who was near him and knew what was on his mind, turned to look down at him.

"Calm down. She's not here." He stated, turning back to Saix. Saix was in the center of the room, eyes closed.

Demyx looked up to Zexion in confusion.

"She…?" Zexion nodded. With a heavy sigh, Demyx got to his feet looking around.

Everyone was placed around the room, resting, all looking apprehensive and fearful underneath their masks. Demyx was void of that mask; he felt the heavy fear.

The lights in the room were flickering on and off. The air was cold and thick, and a bit foggy towards the floor. All in all it was very eerie.

They were in the Proof of Existence. Saix stood at its center, arms outstretched. He was calling out to the Kingdom Hearts Moon, using its power to try and nullify the woman's effects on the castle. So far, it was working – in the Proof of Existence.

Outside, all was black and white, flickering, fading, and a complete mess.

Demyx could feel it radiating in the room; the nameless tremor of fear. Even the oldest and coldest of the groups members could feel it shaking them apart inside, but kept that behind closed doors. Their perfected emotionless masks came easy, since they were nobodies.

But ever since they had earned "heart-pieces", seeds sown to grow into emotions and feelings, they'd all changed. Even the eleven and twelve numbers had left, they had changed so. "Hearts" had changed them. But they still had little emotions barely naught. Even so, here they were, shivering in fear.

(The "heart-pieces" thing is based off my fanfic, but you don't have to read the other fanfic to understand this. Pretty much, the nobodies have baby hearts.)

Demyx looked over to Axel, and when the flame nobody saw Demyx looking at him, he motioned for him to sit next to him. Demyx complied, moving across the room to one of the back corners, where Axel sat against the wall, and Roxas leaned against one of the stones, or marks, of the Proof of Existence.

Demyx leaned a bit as he stood to look behind Roxas.

"You're sitting on Xigbar." Demyx stated nonchalantly. Axel grinned, and Roxas looked over to Xigbar.

"Sorry, Xigbar!"

Xigbar sat up. He was sure he had heard his voice being called. He looked up towards his stone, to Axel and Demyx. Both of them were laughing quietly, but neither were looking at him. Shaking his head, Xigbar sighed inwardly.

He was sure he had heard thirteen's voice.

Back up the hill, Roxas, Axel, and Demyx shared knowing glances as Demyx sat down across from Axel. When he did, Demyx accidentally brushed his leg against Roxas' foot. It went straight through, as if Roxas was an illusion. His form shook for a second, but came back into focus.

"Idiot." Axel shook his head, glaring playfully at Demyx.

"Hey!" Demyx called. Roxas just laughed.

The three's voices fell once more. They didn't really have the energy to talk. The ari was to stifling, the temperament too fearful. Axel scoffed broodily.

"We become human, and find ourselves so weak?" Xaldin overheard the hot-blooded youth. In turn, Xaldin scoffed.

"A mysterious sorceress gives us tiny pieces, shards, of a heart, and you believe us anything near humane? Even if we had hearts, our bodies are that of nobodies. We may yet have emotions, but we will never be human."

"Besides, I doubt that witch was truthful. Hell, I doubt that it even worked. I feel no different. We are emotionless, always and the same." Zexion actually spoke.

"Can you not give hope at least a fleeting chance?" Axel demanded.

"Trade sanity for foolery? Modesty for naivety?" Zexion retorted.

"Will you all be silent?" Saix ordered through clenched teeth.

"I find silence hard to come by when fools are locked in one room alone." Xaldin commented. Axel and Zexion shot him hardened glares.

"Can we not give ourselves any light? We have one last chance each. Use them!" Luxord roared, finding himself mixed inside. He, like the others, found he was shook up inside.

Demyx cringed as his fellows argued amongst themselves. He felt as if the walls were coming in around them, the colors seeping away from the edges, the voices becoming a blur, as he fell ever so slowly and everyone else kept the normal pace.

"WILL YOU SHUT UP!" Saix demanded.

"What are you doing, fool?" Xaldin spoke to Axel.

"I'm going to scorch that woman! Forget you fools! I'm out! Got it memorized?" He shouted as he pulled at the door.

"Dude, back away from the damned door!" Xigbar ordered. Axel spun around to stare him in the eye.

Everything was becoming a black and white blur for Demyx.

"Are you ok?" Roxas asked. Suddenly, everything froze, and Demyx could breathe again. He stood, kneeling, in front of the always observant thirteen, who was blinking and fading, only to reappear a second later, and then repeating the process.

"You were always… the one we could look to… to end the stupid arguments. You always had something… to say… for someone who was always so… silent." Demyx mused with a smile. Roxas' vacant face became lighter.

Roxas spun around to Xigbar, who was still frozen in time. He walked down the hill, his leg passing through a stone, walking through Saix. He stopped just ahead of Xigbar, inbetween him and Axel.

Looking the older man straight in the eye, Roxas glared slightly.

"I know you always try to keep from talking about me. What for?" Roxas shrugged, his eyes contorting for a moment. Xigbar still didn't move. No one did. "You always looked after the kids. Just promise me you won't …" Roxas walked up to Xigbar, letting his hand float just ahead of Xigbar's heart. As he finished his sentence, Roxas flicked the older man's heart, starting time up again. "Lose another kid."

Xigbar's eyes grew wide. He ignored Axel's shouts and the other's panic and fury. He spun around and rushed towards Demyx, leaping over a stone and catching the boy before he hit the ground.

"Kid!" And Xigbar's face were the last things Demyx heard and saw.

And then black.

Flashes. Pictures were flashing before his eyes, sometimes snowing partly, or messing up, like an old video. They were flashes of _then_ – his life as a human. He remembered home, and Clara, and the house, and the woods…

Demyx felt as if he had been drugged. Someone was standing in front of him, but he couldn't make out who it was.

It was someone in a white coat.

But then the white coat disappeared – now it was a woman, a young one. Groaning, Demyx stood and got a good look at her.

She was wearing a short, green dress, with a blue scarf around her waist, and a couples books under her arm. The girl coughed, through her long, deep brown hair over her shoulders, and when she stood tall, her hazel eyes tried to smile – but looked so weak. She looked as if she could hardly stand.

(A memory)

"Clara, Clara, are you ok?" A young Demyx, only about nine, dressed in fine royal clothes kneeled next to a bed, where a young girl rested, her frail lungs heaving.

She nodded weakly, her eyes trying to smile. "I hope so, ------ " The screen fizzed for a moment, and sound broke. The picture reverted back to

"Clara, are you ok?" and then skipped to " hope so," and then went back to normal, before fizzing out completely into black and gray snow.

(End of the memory)

"Clara?" Demyx whispered, his mouth dry. But something in his heart said this wasn't Clara. Something was wrong.

She was standing in a puddle of blood, and the front of her dress was soaked in blood. But her skin color was normal – she wasn't even acting hurt. It didn't faze her. Every so often, another drop of blood would roll down her leg or drop from her chest to the ground.

"It's me." She spoke, smiling. Coughing again, she looked back up to Demyx kindly. "Clara."

Deymx cocked his brow.

"And who… am I?" He asked. Usually, wouldn't someone say, "It's me," and then state the name of the person they were talking to? Demyx's long history of movie watching taught him that. If she was the real Clara, she would know.

Immediately, Clara's hazel eyes became pure white, her mouth lipless, wide, and fanged, and her look savage.

"_Dead_." She murmured. "_Tell Xemnas. Dead._"

With that, she faded away, and Demyx blinked.

He found he was being cradled on the ground by Axel on one side and Xigbar on the other. It was as if he had never been asleep. Everyone was crowded around him, except for Saix, who was looking back over his shoulder.

Demyx laughed weakly.

"So much for no emotion…" He chuckled. All of those around them looked like they had just been splashed with cold water, and they all knew he was right. Xigbar, beaming, set Demyx down and winked at him.

"Way to go, Demyx." Demyx blinked. He had heard that twice. But then he looked over Xigbar's shoulder. Roxas was standing there with the same proud look in his eyes.

Xigbar stood and walked off, walking through Roxas. Demyx stood and brushed himself off, pretty pleased with himself.

Saix, Xigbar, Xaldin, and Zexion stood in the center, Saix listening more than speaking.

"Why is the kid affected by the woman most?" Xigbar whispered, looking over his shoulder to Demyx. Demyx was looking down, and laughed as if someone had told him something amusing. But he was looking at no one. Weird.

"I'm not sure. I don't even know why the woman plagues us." Xaldin muttered angrily.

"Perhaps Demyx knows something." Zexion proposed. All four turned to look at him, Saix only moving his head.

"Hey, kid!" Xigbar called, motioning for Demyx. Demyx pointed at himself confusedly, and when Xigbar nodded, he trudged down to the four.

"What does the woman say when she speaks to you?" Zexion demanded, to the point. Demyx sighed and thought back.

"She says very little. It's like… she's a child, but a monstrous one. She keeps saying stuff about Xemnas. Last time, she said to me, in these words exactly, 'Dead. Tell Xemnas. Dead.'"

The four shared anxious glances.

"What does that mean?" Saix pondered.

"Perhaps this woman wants Xemnas, not us?" Xaldin offered. Xigbar nodded.

"When she first saw me, she said, "Xemnas? Not Xemnas." Xigbar mentioned.

"Then that settles it. The woman wants Xemnas for some reason." Saix determined.

"We can't just call her 'the woman'", Axel demanded, hands on his hips. "She needs a title."

"Bitch!" Xigbar offered laughing. A few others chuckled with her.

Everyone would expect Demyx to make a joke. He was the jokester of the group; it was expected. Why would he be serious?

"How about… Clara?" Demyx muttered. He was barely heard, but he was heard none the less. The members of the organization shared odd looks, wondering why Demyx was so serious, and why 'Clara', but Xigbar decided with a fatherly look. Placing his hand on Demyx's shoulder, he declared:

"Clara it is."

"We need a plan." Luxord whispered in the candle light. It was all the light they had left, for the moon couldn't reach them here, and the lights had gone out completely. The stones gave off light, but candles sure did help.

"We need to find out what Clara wants." Demyx stated with authority, in a joking manner. He was back to normal.

"I say we just kill her." Axel demanded with fire in his eyes. Luxord shook his head.

"I doubt that would work." He said, shuffling his deck for the umpteenth time. Axel grumbled, but didn't bring the subject back up.

"I am practically useless, since she has stolen my Time." Luxord mused, a bit distraught. Xigbar groaned in response, glaring at the flame as he formulated a plan in his mind.

Luxord was awfully talkative today. This ordeal had changed them all, really. Xigbar wondered what would happen at the end of all this.

"Clara wants Xemnas. She is targeting Demyx. She can control time, bend the mind, and create illusions." Xigbar listed, gaining everyone's attention. "She appeared at exactly midnight."

"The Break of Day." Saix mused quietly, no one overhearing.

"Where did she come from, why does she want Xemnas, why did she target Demyx, and who is she; those are the things we need to know. Somehow, we've got to learn 'em." Xigbar finished. No one spoke after that.

Saix was the only one standing. He was still using the moon to protect them. Slathered in sweat and panting, he wondered if he could somehow draw this information from the woman. "Clara".

Saix let his arms fall. His claymore appeared in his place as he moved forward, the moon's power being projected through the weapon. The group realized he had moved, and Xigbar leapt to his feet.

"Where are you – "

"I am going to end this." Saix stated. Looking back to the huddled group, around the candle light, he somehow felt a warmth inside. For some reason, that picture made him feel warm. As if it was cute somehow, and amusing. With a smirk, Saix continued towards the door. "I had planned on spending tonight watching "Gilligan's Island" reruns. I will do so yet." And when the door shut behind him, all was silent.

Until a certain blonde broke the silence.

"The castle gets cable?"

SMACK

Saix stood in the Hall of Silent Melodies, looking around at the gray, black and white area. The ground had become a sort of mud, thin, but sticky and annoying, clinging to his boots like adhesive.

Xigbar was wrong. She didn't control time. Somehow, Clara could bend realities. But why did she want Xemnas?

Saix felt naked without his weapon. Why did he leave it behind to protect the others? He could care less about them.

Really. He didn't care about them.

**Really.**

So why was he here, weaponless, fighting against a woman who wanted all of them dead, leaving the others behind in the sanctuary he created?

Before he could ponder that more, a rumble echoed through the castle. It was the same bell toll from before, but much louder. It rang again, and again. Each time, the area seemed to fade even more.

With a determined glare, Saix strained his elf-like ears to try and follow the sounds.

"She is on the top level." A voice said. Saix spun around.

Zexion stood behind him.

"What are you –"

"I followed you out." Zexion stated simply. Saix looked up, as if to pierce the ceiling.

"I thought –"

"I can smell were she was when time stopped. She's been there the whole time. Not moving. Everything was an illusion. But not this." Zexion pointed to his sticky boot, lifting it off the muddy ground. With a smirk, Saix trudged through the mud towards the stairs.

Saix stood on the stairs, walking, with Zexion ahead of him. The mud was slipping and sliding off the edges of the stairs, so it was more like a slide. It was hard going, but they were making it through.

Suddenly, something whizzed by Saix and Zexion, and the two drew their attention to it.

"Need a lift?"

Xaldin was floating above the stairs, his lances out, the wind holding him easily. Even when time stopped, the wind listened to its master. Saix moved to get out of the mud, so that Xaldin could use the wind to lift him, but he found that a hard task.

Xigbar appeared hanging above him, his head just before Saix.

"Boo." He joked. Rolling his eyes, Saix muttered.

"Get on with it." Xigbar placed his hands under Saix's arms, and lifted him out of the mud. Immediately, Xaldin lifted him aloft, and then Xigbar did the same for Zexion.

The other members of the group came flying up after them, catching up to them with great speed.

"You do not know how hard it was to catch up with you two." Demyx began. "We tried lifting the claymore so that the barrier on the door would break, but it was hard. When did you put that barrier up, Saix?"

Saix smirked. "When I left."

"Well, we got your claymore." A voice said. And so, there it was, floating ahead of him. The claymore was just floating in the air.

Saix arched his brows.

Roxas laughed. It was amusing when only some people could see him. He was the one who finally released the claymore with the keyblade.

Saix took his weapon without a word, and the group flew towards the roof top.

Finally, Organization XIII, or part of it, stood on the circular platform near Kingdom Hearts.

On it was a woman. She was in white, a white organization cloak, her face covered, her hands and arms chained to something, and the chains fell over the side of the tower. Clara kept her head down.

"Alrighty, Clara, we're here to make you go away!" Demyx declared dumbly. The woman chuckled sadly and lightly. Demyx blinked. What just happened?

"**_Xemnas_**?" She asked in the group's minds. No one answered. The girl sighed.

"_No Xemnas. I kill now._" The woman spoke in their minds again. Suddenly, the woman violently shook her head.

"**_Don't! Don't!_**" The woman shouted again. Then she stopped shaking and growled.

"_Kill! Kill!_" She shouted. Thrashing, she spoke again.

"**_Do not! Do not! No!_**"

Demyx leaned back, relaxing his weapon, and looking to the others with a confused, curious, sarcastic look. All of them had relaxed too.

"Any of you guys got the feeling we're watching Gollum from Lord of the Rings?" He questioned. Others in the group muttered responses. Of them all, Zexion laughed. That was weird.

Tonight had changed them.

Suddenly, the chains on Clara tightened, as if something on the side of the tower was being dragged down, and she screamed. With a yelp, Axel ran to the side to look at what was coming up.

The others prepared their weapons again as Axel groaned, and backed up slowly.

"Guys! I think we've got bigger problems!" Axel declared, preparing his flames and standing at the head of the group. The woman was screeching now, and threw her head back. For the first time, her face could truly be seen.

She was absolutely gorgeous. When she flew her head back, her long black hair flew into the air, shining and shimmering. One of her eyes, contorted in pain, was white, and the other was pale, like a Caucasian skin color. Her skin was rosy, her cheeks blushing, and her neck was long.

Beyond the beauty were scars.

Clara was covered in scars. One was on the edge of her forehead, along her hair line, as if she had been burned, and it had healed badly. Another ran up her neck, as if someone had slashed her neck, and it too, had healed badly.

The group had to draw their gaze from the woman immediately as the thing that was attached to the chains climbed over the edge of the tower.

It was a dark being, a Heartless of some sort, a huge wolf heartless. The heartless insignia was on its belly and either of its dark, cloudy eyes. It was a mutated wolf, with small bat wings coming out of its back, and a head that barely was wolfish. Its legs were made of jelly, almost, conforming to the tower side, and its tall was barbed, and jelly like as well. Drooling a black acid, on all of its four paws were chains.

The wolf was chained to Clara. Or was Clara chained to the wolf?

"You're DEAD!" Axel screamed, lunging for the wolf with his chakrams. Taking the cue, all of the dark warriors leapt for the hungry beast, the woman shivering beneath it.

So much for chivalry being dead.

Axel lunged for the beasts neck, and it stretched out of the way, but the beast was hit by two of Xaldin's lances in the neck. It howled a monstrous, devastating screech, that was so terrible, it wasn't even animalistic. Saix landed on the beast's back, running towards its tail while dragging the claymore through its dark skin. When he reached the tail, he planned to unleash a devastating attack, but instead the jelly like tail enveloped him, the claymore flying from his grasp.

Axel saw immediately Saix's situation. He also saw an opening for him to kill…

Zexion?

He had killed him once. He could do it again. He didn't really care for the organization anyway, just his friends, Demyx and Roxas. He didn't care about them. And Zexion was always such an ass…

Suddenly, Roxas came into Axel's line of sight.

"Don't tell me your giving up yet, Axel?" Roxas stated, standing amidst the chaos.

Shaking his head, he smirked at Roxas.

Leaping up, Axel slashed with his flames at the beast's tail, cutting Saix off. Plummeting to the ground, he spun around to land on his feet, coughing and heaving. Running under the beast, he snatched his claymore back up, and slid to a stop, analizing his chance to…

Gain all the glory?

He could finally prove for sure he was strong to Xemnas. All he had to do was jump onto Demyx, thus using his time of weakness as a distraction for the wolf, and then stab out its weak point, the heart. Using the moon, he could overload it.

Demyx would probably be severely injured, but…

"You really that vain, Saix?" Someone spoke. Saix could have sworn, for a second, he had seen Roxas standing on the beast. With a glint in his eye, Saix leapt for where he thought he had seen Roxas, and stood next to Demyx.

"Demyx!" He called. The musician spun around, grinning at the Diviner. Standing back to back, fending off the beast's tentacles, Demyx summoned his water as Saix powered him up with the moon.

Down below, Xaldin and Xigbar teamed up to try and rip the beast's head from its shoulders.

Further below, two some ones – two nobodies – came home.

"Where is everyone?" Vexen wondered aloud. "They had better not be in my lab again. The last time Demyx messed with the lab, I had a cold for a week." Xemnas chuckled very quietly at the memory.

He was chuckling more often nowadays.

But his chuckled died down when he arrived inside the castle. The closer he got to the castle, the worse the feeling was that something was wrong, but now that he was inside, he saw that something definitely was.

Everything was black and white, ground was so thick and muddy. The air was growing murky.

"Xemnas!" Someone called. Glancing around, Xemnas looked to Vexen. He looked shocked, but it didn't seem like he had heard the voice that resembled number thirteen so.

"Come." Xemnas turned ahead again. "To the rooftop."

Xigbar crashed headfirst into the ground, bleeding profusely. Everything was blurring and messy – he felt so light headed.

"Xigbar!" Demyx called, but before he could run to him, the beast's tentacle crashed into him, sending him flying into the wall.

The group was now losing.

"Xemnas!" Demyx looked up, groaning, to see Xaldin looking back in awe and glory at whoever was coming up the stairs now.

Xemnas and Vexen appeared at the top of the stairs, Vexen with his blue shield prepared. He rushed to Xigbar immediately, who was now shaking. Xemnas stepped forward.

Placing his hand out, a red light appeared in the palm of his hand. The beast reared up, revealing its heart symbol. The light flared and released, splitting the beast apart at the center. It disappeared immediately, its red heart flying upwards in gold sparkles towards Kingdom Hearts.

Xemnas spun with grace and sauntered to Xigbar, who was worse off. Everyone was crowded around him.

"Xemnas…" Vexen whispered. "He's not going to make it."

If it had been before, few would have mourned, and any mourning would have been fake. But now… all felt. Even Xemnas, though he hated to admit it.

Everyone had changed on the outside except Xemnas. They did their best to keep it hidden, except for few. But Xemnas… he was the only one who had changed on the inside, dramatically, but he did not let it show.

"Braig…" He muttered silently.

"**_Xemnas…?_**"

Everyone looked back.

"Clara" was kneeling on the ground weekly, the shackles on her now chainless. She could move, barely. She looked frail, hardly able to move.

It was then Demyx realized there was a pool of blood under her. Just like the illusion her, Clara was bleeding from the chest. She limped forward towards the group, and none tried to stop her.

When she walked up past Demyx, she faltered, and he caught her. Starting up again, she leaned down next to Xigbar.

"**_Don't worry, Xehanort_."** She spoke. "_**Braig will be ok.**" _The older members exchanged glances.

"Who are you?" Demyx muttered. "Why are you here? And –"

"You're full of questions." She spoke aloud weakly, her voice frail. She chuckled, and touched Xigbar's chest.

Immediately, all of his wounds healed. He stopped shaking, and settled down. Sitting up, he looked to her in amazement.

"My name was Clara." Demyx gasped, and Axel shook his head.

"I was right!" Clara laughed.

"It was Clara. I targeted you because you used to know a woman named Clara. My new name is…" She stopped.

"I came here to find Xemnas, or as I knew him Xehanort. I use to live on Hallow Bastion, and I was a maid in the castle. I watched Xehanort… from afar. Braig and I were friends. I asked him about you a lot. And then… I fell for you. From afar, Xemnas."

"But when you went into the darkness, you ripped my heart out. I couldn't believe it…" Clara lifted her weak hand and unzipped her jacket partly.

Her chest was a mess. There was a Nobody symbol, and in its center, a huge hole that was bleeding profusely and never ending. She zipped it back up as the members of the group held back saddened, sickened gazes.

"I fell into darkness. Part of me still cared for you… but another me was born. I named her Aral. She was my hatred for you leaving me behind. She was the one…" she looked to Xigbar and the others. "Tormenting you."

"I came here to find Xemnas, and… to test him. To see if he really cared for you all. If a heart was not wasted on him. I did not want you all to suffer as I did." She sighed, painfully.

"The beast that was chained to me was the beast that fed off of my tortured heart when I fell into darkness. It was my pain incarnated, chain to my soul. You freed me of it." Clara smiled.

Xemnas was silent.

"Poor kid…" Xigbar frowned. "I remember you…" Clara smiled.

"I'm glad." She coughed a bit. Then she continued her explanation.

"The odd reality I created was an accident. It was created by Aral. It was the realm of my deadened "heart". It is still here." She touched her chest gently. "weak. But a heart is hard to heal."

"Give it time." Someone spoke. "It will." No one heard but Clara.

And Xemnas.

"When I arrived, I met someone named Roxas. He helped me. Told me how to come in, how to keep the realm from killing you all. And he told me the day when Xemnas would be absent, at first. So I came. And Roxas watched over you to make sure Aral didn't hurt anyone."

Demyx scoffed sarcastically, folding his arms. "Too late." He joked.

Clara smiled.

"What is… your new name?"

Clara looked up to see Xemnas' golden eyes gazing into her own. Gulping, and blushing, she replied.

"Craxla." She responded. Xemnas nodded emotionless.

He remembered the little maid girl. But she didn't have so many… scars.

"When you where in the darkness… what happened? Aral was born, the beast was chained to you…" Axel asked.

"And the Heartless attacked me. That's why I have all the scars I do." She pointed out one under her chin. "I escaped using my newfound "nobody" powers, even though I'm not truly a nobody."

The group nodded unaminously. Craxla giggled.

She had won.

"The expeiriment worked!" she cheered. "I knew it!" all of the members looked to her.

"You all act like you hate each other and don't like each other, at times, and act all cold. But the hearts you were given really have taken. You have all changed, a bit. Even… Xemnas." She muttered, looking up to him.

"You protected each other and worked for each other. You truly are a team… you even mourned together. And then… you freed me." Weakly, Craxla stood.

"But I have to go." She declared.

"No way!" Xigbar demanded, standing. The others agreed with him. Craxla began fading, and shook her head.

"I'll be back. Once I have finished some things." She promised. Xemnas looked over his shoulder to her.

"The feelings you had… were so one sided. But you continued, even in darkness?" he pondered. Craxla nodded.

"That's a woman's heart." She smiled. And then, she disappeared.

Behind her, in the distance, Xemnas saw him. The boy, thirteen, standing and looking up to the moon. Chuckling, Xemnas turned away from him.

He didn't know how he was here, or even alive, but… he would have to thank him, in a more private situation.

"Come." He spoke to the others. All were drowsy. It was midnight, after all.

Actually, it was 12:01.

"Let us go rest." Xemnas demanded, walking ahead on the now normal, white stairs. Axel yawned and stretched. Everyone walked down the stairs. Looking back, Axel saw Demyx looking out at the moon.

"Goodbye, Clara." He whispered. Looking down, he looked to Roxas, winked, and ran inside.

"Come on, kid!" Axel called to Roxas as Demyx passed him. "Get inside! After all…"

"You're our thirteen."

END.


End file.
